


hold my hand (and break free)

by Anonymous



Category: IZONE (Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Tags to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23198995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: fic inspired by the kumari tradition.none of things mentioned/written here are accurate- they’ve been tweaked to fit the plot.
Relationships: Kim Chaewon (IZONE)/Lee Jeno
Kudos: 4
Collections: Anonymous





	1. intro i.

**Author's Note:**

> fic inspired by the kumari tradition. 
> 
> none of things mentioned/written here are accurate- they’ve been tweaked to fit the plot.

_  
Back straight, chin up, lips sealed._

_Her gaze settled down on the man at her feet. Not a trace of emotion marred her face; no sight of a crease on her smooth skin. Bruised pleas resonated in the hall but she remained still. Hands were on her lap, folded. Her bare feet rested on the red pedestal away from the ground._

_Back straight, chin up, lips sealed._

_Eyes on the agonized until his begging ceased._

_A reflection of her he had to be for her magic to work._

_Hysteria. The victory of the evil residing in them._

_A sigh; his misery._

_And laughter, the land’s loss._

_The crown on her head was heavy but heavier was the burden resting on her shoulders, the expectant eyes judging her every move. The crowd would fall into shambles at the slightest movement of her hair. What were meant to be her expressions were the mass’s predictions._

_Her eyes fell shut as soon as he stopped calling for her._

_A nod._

_Acknowledgment._

_Reduced misery._

“Bluff,” came a scoff, reeling the focused ones back to reality. A few turned back to express their displeasure at the interruption while the startled professor’s frown morphed into a tight-lipped smile. 

“I am afraid it isn’t, Kim Seungmin-sshi,” followed his voice. Kim Seungmin’s eyes narrowed in doubt. “Look close enough and you would find it here. Among us.” 

Two seats to his right Kim Chaewon flinched.   
  



	2. intro ii.

Curiosity is a disease. It messes up Jeno’s head. 

The questioning started two months ago when he had witnessed the slightest shift in her otherwise indifferent face. A flash of panic — if he wasn’t wrong — right after Mr. Park’s suggestion. 

_Look close. Among us._

Why?

He had noticed Kim Chaewon way before but nothing about her stuck. A pretty face in the sea of countless others; there wasn’t anything noteworthy about her. Jeno realized she didn’t stand out. Her presence faded into the background, moves were extremely quiet — he swore he had never heard her; he did pick her name from other sources too — and face expressionless. It conveyed nothing. It conveyed _normal_ and diverted interest from her. 

Was it on purpose? Because the slip-up told Jeno one thing: she had something to hide. But what was it?

Was the tale real? How did she fit into it?

Did she know? Had she seen?

Why couldn’t he do more than see her?

Jeno was far from shy. A little quiet definitely, but meeting new people didn’t faze him. Yet in the span of two months, he hadn’t gotten any closer to her. His thoughts, yes, but physically Jeno stayed back and watched her from the same distance every day. 

It was as though she had set barriers around herself. A wall of glass he could see through. Sometimes his eyes lingered on her and he thought, _does she see_ me? 

She never spared a glance. Wouldn’t she have noticed by then? Wasn’t it good for him that she hadn’t realized he had been following her? Then _why_ did he hope she would glance back? 

Jeno hadn’t found answers to any of his questions and it was killing him. So much so that his friends teased him for zoning out. Funny how they didn’t see him seeing her. She was the _her_ mentioned but her name was never there. 

Why was she hiding? 

Would she let him in? 

_On the seventy-fourth day did she look back._


End file.
